More than 3 inches of rain have fallen on the area since thunderstorms began rolling into Lawrence late Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Lawrence saw approximately 3.43 inches of rain between 7 a.m. Thursday and 7 a.m. Friday, meteorologist Bryan Baerg said. And more is on the way.

"This afternoon we can expect probably at least a half inch, maybe pushing an inch," he said. "It just depends on where the thunderstorms form."

Thunderstorms are also expected to continue through the weekend, Baerg said.

Douglas County is under flash flood watch until 7 a.m. Saturday.

North of Lawrence, the Kansas River is just under a minor flood stage, Baerg said. Typically at a depth of 15 feet, the river is currently at about 17.75 feet deep. Walking paths near the river between Burcham and Constant parks were underwater Friday morning.

Power outages persist

Thursday's severe storms resulted in widespread tree damage, power outages and flooded roadways in the Lawrence area. Wind gusts reached 67 miles per hour at Lawrence Municipal Airport at 4:54 p.m. Thursday, according to the weather service.

At one point Thursday evening, more than 1500 Westar Energy customers were without electricity in Lawrence, according to the company's website. As of 10 a.m. Friday morning, about 250 customers in Lawrence were still without power. Westar warned it could be noon Friday before some outages were resolved.

Tree damage widespread

An uprooted tree lies on the ground near Fourth and Alabama streets, Friday morning, May 27, 2016. High winds and heavy rain resulted in tree damage throughout the area Thursday afternoon and evening.
by Mike Yoder

Large tree limbs were seen littering sidewalks and some roadways throughout Lawrence Friday morning. In some cases, entire trees had fallen over.

The city of Lawrence sent out instructions for disposal of tree debris in a news release:

There is no yard waste pick-up on Monday, May 30 due to Memorial Day. However, residents can take storm damage to the city's brush site at 1420 E. 11th Street (two blocks east of 11th and Haskell) on Saturday, May 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: $5 per pickup truck load (more for larger trucks). Cash only. Compost and woodchip sales will occur on Saturday, May 28 as usual.

If debris is too large to cut up and bundle, the city will work to clear debris placed at the curb next week, May 31 to June 3.

Road reopened

A Douglas County vehicle diverts traffic around standing water from flooding farm fields along U.S. Highway 24-40 near Airport Road, Friday morning, May 27, 2016.
by Mike Yoder

U.S. Highway 24 north of Lawrence, which was closed Thursday night, reopened to traffic Friday morning, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced.

Standing water had been reported on the stretch of highway between Tee Pee Junction and U.S. Highway 59 in Jefferson County.

By 5 a.m. Friday morning, KDOT was reporting the waters had receded and the road was once again open to traffic. Several other roads in northeast Kansas remained closed, KDOT said. Those roads include: K-5 in Leavenworth County over 7-Mile Creek; K-92 in Leavenworth County over Stranger Creek; and K-192 in Leavenworth County over Stranger Creek.

A car sits stranded in high water on East 1900 Road, north of North 1400 Road, Friday, May 27, 2016. Many fields were flooded and some roads in the area were partially covered with water after Thursday night storms.
by Mike Yoder

Comments

After the worst of it had stopped and there was a break, though it seemed more was coming before long, I was with my canine companion walking through the parking lot of the McDonald's at 6th & Arkansas. A man driving a truck suddenly rolled down his window and asked if we had a long way to go. "Just half a block, but thanks!"

The more I thought about that simple gesture, the more touched I was. I am absolutely livid with the current Kansas government in Topeka. But wherever I live in the future, I'll always love the people of Kansas. They're what makes this a great state, no one else.

"The city will pick-up limbs and debris with regularly scheduled trash collection (Tuesday-Friday). Materials should be in a can, city cart (yard waste cart or trash cart – not a recycling cart please), or compostable paper bag, sticking out no more than 12" above the container opening. Bundles of tree and brush trimmings are also accepted. Each bundle must not exceed 5 feet in length or 18-inches in diameter and must not weigh more than 65-pounds. Bundles must be tied with string or twine (please no wire, duct tape, etc.)."

Does the standard instructions on yard waste mean that this pickup will be in a separate truck and go to the city yard waste place instead of the city dump?